Everytime I start a new meal plan people will ask me how many calories I eat per day. I tell them how many calories I eat, and then I tell them this:
My meal plans and how many calories are based off of how much I weigh, how much lean mass I have, and how much activity I do in a day. I am never hungry because I eat every 3 hours. I trust the person (Zach) who helps me determine how many calories and grams of protein to have with my meals.
That is my little disclaimer to people because they will typically ask me this:
Can I follow the calorie count that you do? (Please refer to the statement above....I'm not telling anyone what they can and can't do for a weight loss program)
Do you get hungry? (No)
Do you have days where you eat what you want and don't follow your plan? (No, even though I have in the past, the answer is no. I can eat what I want. I just eat a specific times and I have to follow the calorie and protein limits and what not. I can typically find what I want to eat and find a way to make it fit into the plan.)
Do you ever crave junk food, ice cream, sweets, etc? (Um, hell yea, I'm human. I want junk food all the time. I dream about it. I eat it too. Just not a bunch. I will plan a meal around having that cookie, or scoop of ice cream, or whatever. I don't get to have a lot, but just enough to stop that craving. I'm sure that's why I don't flip out and pig out on junk food if I'm having a stressful day.)
I thought you should eat 1200 calories per day? You must be eating too many calories, Sarah! (My PERSONAL OPINION is that 1200 caloies is not enough. When I started, I was eating over 2000 a day. I was losing 2 pounds a week from the calories and workouts. I think 1200 calories a day is setting you up for failure, because you are not getting enough fuel to get you through the day and I've known people who try to eat 1200 a day and they BINGE whenever they get the opportunity. Again, this is my opinion.)
How long have you been doing this? Why didn't you have surgery? (Ok, it's been almost 2 years. I've lost all this weight on my own, well, with the help of workout buddies, family, and Zach and Janelle pushing me along and keeping me focused. Surgery is not for everyone. It was not for me. I'm insanely proud that I was able to do this the way that I did. Also, truth be told, I never tried to lose weight before this. I just didn't care. This was my first attempt to lose weight and changing my eating habits, drinking habits, and workout habits worked for me. Most people that have surgery have tried so many different plans, options, and whatever before going for surgery. Maybe if I had been spinning my wheels for years I would have had a different approach. Overall, I'm very glad I did what I did without surgery.)
So, these are the questions that I am most often asked when people talk about meal plans and my meal plans and what I'm doing. I repeat these things probably 10 times a week to people. Pretty soon I'm just going to print this out and hand it to people when I see them!
I completely agree with you about how eating 1200 calories a day isn't enough. I tried to do that in the past, and it's AWFUL. I was much happier eating more like 1600-1800 :)
ReplyDeleteYou should post a link to this post in your sidebar, and maybe avoid having to answer the question over and over! Or even have a FAQ page. I did the FAQ page because I found myself answering the same questions constantly.
See, I totally get this...what works for one person will often not work 100% for the next, and it bugs the crap out of me when someone tells me how THEY lost weight, and how I should now lose weight their way...did I say these are often men??? Ugh. You do you, I'll do me, and I'll see ya at the finish line, is my motto. I do find I have to stay at or very close to 1300-1400 calories per day, and notice my willpower is at its weakest when I drop below that-hence the great cupcake disaster of 2011...but again, this is just me. ;-) Sounds like whatever you are doing is you doing something right!!!
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